Observation &  Engineering
by Rose Tinted Contact Lenses
Summary: Two-parter. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya's pilgrimage really hasn't been going well - facing Saren's geth and ignorant prejudice, she's miserable. But perhaps a certain human can change that...
1. Observation

_A "spork" is a cross between a spoon and a fork, meaning you use one implement instead of two. I just liked the idea of the Alliance being cheap about their cutlery. Also, I gave the mess hall more tables. Here is... well, whatever this is._

**Observation & Engineering**

**1**

**Observation**

Humans are... _odd, _reflects Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, sitting in the mess hall of the Normandy SR1, with a tube of the nutrient paste she has taken with her (nutrient paste is so bland that it's almost _interesting _- it's enough to make sure you live, but you can't call it gourmet cuisine. Or, for that matter, _food_). For a moment, she is thankful for the mask of her enviro-suit - it means the soldiers around her cannot see her eyes on them.

They all seem so... _disjointed, selfish. _In the Migrant Fleet, quarians have to work together for the good of their species; they grow up constantly aware of this fact, and it affects the way they treat each other. Here, few humans seem to care about the benefits actions will have for anyone else - everything they do is for themselves.

She admits to herself that her "observations" may be a little biased; since she started this pilgrimage, she has seen nothing but hate and death, and not just from the geth. She was warned about the way her people were regarded, but nothing prepared her for _this - _suspicion_, _outright hostility... even knowing nothing about them, she has always thought humans were viewed unfairly, but her experiences have made her wonder if certain reputations have a reason behind them.

She scolds herself for thinking it: prejudices are what have made this rite of passage so unpleasant. Apparently, her people are nothing but liars, beggars and thieves - if she joins the humans in their presumptions, she's just as bad as them.

She can't help but look to the oddest human of them all - their commander, this "Shepard", sitting alone, somehow detached from the others, datapad in one hand, military-issue "spork" in the other.

Her heart sinks. He had seemed so _concerned _when he met her, trying to understand her pilgrimage, asking about it, looking like he was trying to make sure the mission didn't interfere with her beliefs.

None of that matters, though. She catches the glances he occasionally pretends not to give her._ Probably to make sure I don't _steal_ anything, _she thinks, mouth twisting bitterly under her mask. _Just like all the others._

He's doing it again, she can tell, though he quickly averts his eyes, pretending to read the datapad; it's odd - it's almost like he can _sense _her eyes on him. Is this something humans can do that her people don't know about?

Oh, she isn't _totally _clueless - she has been in contact with humans before, otherwise she wouldn't have had to endure their ridiculous attitudes toward the quarian race. It's just that this is the longest she has been in contact with them, and she can't help but sit and _watch... _try to _understand._

She accidentally turns her head at the sigh from across the hall - Shepard's - and tries not to seem too surprised - though how would they know, anyway, they can't even see her _face - _when he uncurls his tall figure from his seat, striding over to her table and sitting opposite her, placing unfinished breakfast and datapad beside him. He surprises her again by giving her a smile. "How are you settling in?"

For a moment, she considers being honest - she _isn't._ She's only been on the ship since last night, when she was shown to her quarters, and she already wants with all her heart to leave. She knows she won't - she still hasn't found a pilgrimage gift, and the thought of abandoning her mission is unforgivably selfish, leaving her hating herself for even letting it occur to her.

"I... I'm fine," she mutters, hanging her head. She raises it to find him trying in vain to search her masked face; he looks her in eyes that are just visible under the tinted material.

"Are you sure about that?" The smile is gone now, and his voice is low; he is asking for honesty.

She sees again the human that saved her life and was worried about disrupting her pilgrimage - it's something in the eyes, she thinks - and, though cautious, gives it to him. "I... I don't know. The crew seem... like they believe what people say. They don't want to talk. I tried to talk to your pilot, but... he just avoided me."

She is offended when the human laughs. "Yeah, well... that's just Joker. He's not a 'people' person. He avoids _everyone, _but he avoids them all equally. Human, quarian, turian, asari - if they can talk, he'll be... well, _him. _Trust me, our first meeting was... _interesting._"

She thinks she understands. As stupid as it is - after all, a moment ago she was thinking about how barbaric humans seemed - she's smiling under her mask, reassured, and he's doing the same.

"We were introduced on the Citadel, but there hasn't really been time to talk. Miss Zorah... that _is_ right - ?"

She's embarrassed at the formal title, though glad he hasn't made the common mistake of using her ship name rather than surname. "Tali," she says quietly, hesitant to correct him. "Though Miss Zo-"

He shakes his head. "Whatever makes you more comfortable here, Tali." He uses her name surprisingly comfortably already. "Glad to have you aboard." He offers her his hand, and she shakes it gingerly. Oh _keelah_, she's really not good at this sort of thing. There's a beep from his datapad, and he picks it up, frowning. "Sorry, this is important... some parts of the mission - " He shakes his head. "I'll get O' Connor to show you to your workspace. Sorry..." He rushes off awkwardly, dumping the remains of his breakfast in the trash. She pretends not to stare after him, the same way she's been pretending not to analyse his expressions throughout their conversation. It is rare to see a quarian out of their enviro-suit, and she enjoys trying to "read" his expressions, compare his face to her own.

She assumed he was suspicious of her, but, she realises with a jolt, maybe he was just trying to work out how to introduce himself. The looks he's been giving her haven't been _angry _like some of the others. Curious, perhaps? One more thing strikes her - the concerned, friendly human she met in the back alley of the Wards... maybe he's still been there all along. His behaviour doesn't excuse that of some of his crew, but...

She thinks again: prejudices are what have made this rite of passage so unpleasant - if she joins the humans in their presumptions, she's just as bad as them.

_Keelah_, this is complicated.

_All feedback is appreciated! ;-)_


	2. Engineering

_I like to think this Shep is the type to look out for and try and meet the needs of all his crew, but has taken a particular interest in Tali because she's been having a bad time. _

_This story ends, and a friendship begins. Enjoy._

**Observation & Engineering**

**2**

**Engineering**

Shepard sighs, shaking his head. She had probably been annoyed at his intrusion into her thoughts - she'd certainly jumped when he'd joined her at her table. She'd just seemed so... _lonely._ He's seen the looks she'd been receiving since she'd entered the ship, and considered saying something to the crew, but, well... what _can_ he say? You can't _order _people to think a certain way.

He wonders how she's doing.

Joker's in his usual place in the cockpit when Shepard passes by. "A quarian, huh?"

"Her _name _is Tali," Shepard remarks, sounding annoyed, "and I'm just going to see her now, actually."

* * *

><p>This ship is <em>amazing.<em> She actually _gasped_ when she saw the drive core.

There's also the fact that she found some antiseptics and antibiotics in the med-bay when she took a look around the ship, as well as a recently-bought box of that hideous - but essential - nutrient paste in her quarters. She can't help but remember Shepard's words - "Whatever makes you more comfortable here, Tali." She smiles. She wonders...

Though she's been working on some calculations, her thoughts are drawn again to the encounter in the mess hall. Seeing her distracted, Adams gives her a smile of encouragement.

Most of the crew are still cold towards her, but Shepard hasn't been the only human who has been kind to her on this ship. She wishes she could offer a smile (well, a visible one) back; instead, she simply nods in acknowledgment.

The footsteps behind her surprise her - are soldiers normally this quiet? She turns, expecting to see O' Connor again, but it is the Commander who greets her. Complimenting him on his ship - which he explains is only a prototype; she is relieved that the Fleet's technology isn't _quite _as old and obsolete as she'd feared - she is surprised when he asks a question. "Your Fleet - you talk about it often." He cocks his head. "It... means a lot to you, then?"

She nods, wondering why he's asking - it doesn't seem like he's gathering intelligence, it's a personal question. He is the first of any other species she has met to display any sort of curiosity about where she comes from. For some reason, she finds herself opening up to this strange human once again, and she is soon telling him about her home. Her family, her fears, what she can't have (well, a _little _about what she can't have - there are some things you don't explain to a person you've just met), all teased forth with the occasional question. He actually seems _interested,_ and genuinely saddened to hear of the death of her mother, and, after a while, she offers her own question:

"What... what are _your_ family like?"

He clears his throat, and something she can't quite identify in his body language and his eyes changes, locks down. He clears his throat. "Never knew them. They died when I was very young."

She can't disguise her sadness. At least she has her father, and had her mother for seventeen years; she still has good memories, but he has none. She wonders if he can remember what they look like, if he has any holos... Though she knows she's acting unprofessionally, the words slip out before she can stop them. "Oh, Shepard - I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up..." She seems to be hanging her head again. "But - " She looks up. "Who looked after you?"

He shakes his head slightly, wearing a half-smile that displays no joy. "It's a _very _long story. It wasn't the easiest life..." He stops.

She understands - she has pried too far, and he is trying to give her a diplomatic answer to quieten her. She is ashamed of her behaviour, and, though she's wearing a helmet, wants to - what is the human expression? - put in her foot in her mouth. She has never understood why people say that until now.

Yet, he doesn't seem offended. He looks up at her, and his smile is genuine this time. "I'll explain someday, but... there's a ship to run. I better check in with Ashley." He realises how long he's been talking to her - valuable working time. "Thanks for letting me bug you," he laughs; a genuine apology is in there somewhere.

As he walks towards the door, he hears her laugh for the first time - the best sound he's heard all day. A reply, so quiet he wonders if he is even meant to hear it: "Thanks for... _bugging _me, Shepard."

* * *

><p>In the mess hall the next morning, officers Williams and Alenko are greeted by a strange sight. Shepard walks past them, datapad, spork and breakfast in hand as always, but...<p>

"Kaidan... is the skipper _whistling?_"

"Sure seems like it. Is that a tube of nutrient paste he's got?"

"Yeah, I think it is. Going somewhere, Shepard?"

He turns round. "Oh, just Engineering. Checking up on the new girl."

* * *

><p><em>The end of this story, but more shorts on the theme of ShepTali to come._


End file.
